.7 MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING - Bid Rights for Injured-on-Duty Employees

BETWEEN THE

UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE

AND THE

NATIONAL RURAL LETTER CARRIER'S ASSOCIATION

It is agreed that the following procedure will be used in situations in which an employee, as a result of a job-related illness or injury, is temporarily unable to work all of the duties of his or her normal rural carrier assignment. Instead, such an employee is working another assignment on limited duty or is receiving Continuation of Pay (COP) or compensation as the result of being injured on the job, sick leave, or annual leave or Leave Without Pay (LWOP) in lieu of sick leave.

1. Regular Rural Carriers, Part-time Flexible Rural Carriers, Substitutes and RCAs who are temporarily unable to fully perform the duties of the bid-for position will be allowed to bid for a rural carrier assignment in accordance with Article 12, Section 3.B of the USPS-NRLCA National Agreement, provided the employee will be able to perform the duties of the bid-for position within the lesser period, either; one (1) year from the time the bid is submitted or the remainder of the two (2) year period described in the MOU regarding relinquishing the route when unable to perform all the duties of the assigned rural route for a period of two years. During this period, the position shall be held in abeyance and shall not be awarded to the employee until such time that he or she is able to perform the duties of the bid-for position, not to exceed the lesser period, either; one (1) year from the placement of the bid-for position submitted or the remainder of the two (2) year period described in the previously mentioned MOU.

2. Management may, at the time of submission of the bid or at any time thereafter, request that the employee provide medical certification indicating that the employee will be able to fully perform the duties of the bid-for position within the period described in item 1. above. If the employee fails to provide such certification, the bid shall be disallowed, and, it shall be reposted for bidding. Under such circumstances the employee shall not be permitted to re-bid the next posting of that assignment.

3. If at the end of the period described in item 1. above, the employee has not been able to perform the duties of the bid-for position, the employee must relinquish the bid, and shall not be permitted to re-bid the next posting of that assignment.

4. An employee currently holding an assignment in abeyance in accordance with the above, may elect to bid on other vacancies. Should the employee become the successful bidder, the employee relinquishes the first assignment and the subsequent assignment is held in abeyance for the remainder of the period for the original bid described in item 1. above.

5. An employee that has relinquished their route due to being unable to perform his or her assigned route for a period of two years is not eligible to hold an assignment in abeyance pursuant to this MOU.

6. It is still incumbent upon the employee to follow procedures in Article 12, Section 3.A to request notices to be sent to a specific location when absent. All other provisions relevant to the bidding process will also apply.
Anthony J. Vegliante     Steven R. Smith
Vice President      President
Labor Relations      National Rural Letter
U.S. Postal Service     Carriers' Association



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